Company
by edmelon
Summary: Because what's Christmas Eve without someone to spend it with? Christmas!fic. Rimahiko.


_Company_

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_Merry Christmas Cerulia! _

* * *

Christmas was a mere formality. An inconvenience, really – an unwelcome and abrupt disruption in the usually orderly flow of things as far as the business-orientated Mashiros were concerned. After all, what use was tinsel or turkey or whimsical, coloured fairy-lights when there were deadlines to meet or documents to sign? To the Mashiros, Christmas was simply a spanner in the works – a broken cog in the well-oiled machine that kept the world of work moving.

Not that it would have mattered anyway. It was already 9PM on Christmas Eve and whereas any other businessman in the world would have gratefully retired for a well-earned respite, Rima's dad was still harassing his poor assistant over the phone over something inconsequential whilst in the background her mother huffed and tutted, growing red in the face as she was forced to wait before she could lecture him about something or other.

Their voices raised, their tempers fraying. A half-assembled, wiry-looking plastic tree leant limp and sad beside the fireplace forgotten – the only indication that perhaps one of them still remembered what a merry time this once had been.

Listening reluctantly from the foot of her bed, Rima quietly mourned the demise of those once-happy times. But those were long behind them. Western ideals were tasteless, they said. A distraction…

Rima hugged her knees to her chest and inhaled deeply. Christmas was childish. Infantile. And she knew how her parents felt about things like that. After all, it was such accusations of childishness that had smothered out all sound of laughter in Rima's once happy home.

"Rima…"

Out of the corner of her eye, KusuKusu was hovering beside her, watching on with big, concerned eyes.

"Rima! Smile!"

The little chara pulled the corners of her mouth into a wide, lopsided grin that was actually quite frightening, but Rima had to give her props for trying.

Downstairs, her father was done on the phone.

Rima's heart clenched. Normally her parents' busy work lives kept them blissfully apart. But… Over Christmas…

If only to be freed from the torment of hearing them fight… She wanted to _disappear_.

'_I can't take this anymore!' _

"Rima–!"

KusuKusu's cries of astonishment went ignored. Blocking all else out, the little Queen rushed down the stairs, the light pad of her footsteps drowned out beneath the crescendo of her parents' voices as they reached their peak. Rima practically tore her coat from the cupboard, throwing on her thickest, fluffiest scarf, and without so much as a backward glance she was gone – out the door, past the gate, the echoes of her parents arguments still ringing in her ears long after she'd left the confines of her castle.

By the time her home was behind her, she was breathless and dizzy. She looked around. The night was cold and soft tendrils of vapour swooped before her face with every puff of breath she took. The street was still… Too still.

In the heat of the moment, Rima realised with a sinking feeling that she'd left without considering her destination. With nowhere to go, Rima realised she now faced the possibility of spending Christmas night alone in the freezing cold… But where was there?

To return back home? Out of the question. The Royal Garden? No, not at this hour. The school gates would be locked anyway. Rima nearly contemplated heading back down the path and towards Amu's house, but one glance at a nearby heavily-decorated house told her that she was in no mood for it. Christmas was quite the affair in the Hinamori household. Their home would be full of festive fun tonight, similarly decked out with little, twinkling lights and wreaths of ribbon and holly. There would be mistletoe above the doorway; a star atop a towering tree; her little sister was probably singing ear-splitting carols and thumping about the house on a sugar-high right this minute, her eyes wide and alight with the sort of excitement that only a child on Christmas Eve could comprehend.

"_Childish!" _her parents would say…

Something in her chest gave way with a pang. She looked down solemnly at her polished shoes.

After all… Rima had no time for childishness.

By the time she finally dragged herself away from the empty path, the stars were beginning to peek out overhead and a bitter chill was whistling down through the desolate streets. It seemed no one else was wandering tonight. After all, she thought, no one needed to. Not with families to go home to or a cozy fireside to keep the winter cold at bay. Everywhere she went there seemed to be a warm glow spilling out from the façades of otherwise unremarkable buildings – lights full of cheer and welcome mirth from every window, providing home and harmony to all inside as darkness descended upon the world.

Rima's heart clenched. So long it had been since such life and laughter had warmed her family's hearts. So many years…

By now her cheeks were burning, eyes blurring, but it was not the cold to blame.

"Rima..?"

The blonde ignored the waver in her chara's voice. "I'm fine, KusuKusu." She sniffled into the soft hood of her coat and shook her head at once, fighting back the lump in her throat. "Come on."

KusuKusu followed dejectedly behind.

Working her way through the icy maze of streets, Rima found herself heading out of the suburbs towards the glaring lights of the city. There was still life here even at this late hour. As she neared the city centre, Rima was utterly dwarfed within the crowds full of people who were stopping by storefronts or pausing to marvel at various decorations. After all, loathe as she was to admit it, it was Christmas here too and it was not long before the fact became inescapable.

Wandering aimlessly, drifting as though guided by some invisible force, Rima did not notice the commotion until she was already within it.

"Amazing!" She heard KusuKusu breathe, tiny eyes full of wonder. "A Christmas market!"

The scent of cinnamon and fried dough wafted tantalisingly on the breeze, drawing couples and friends and last-minute Christmas shoppers into the bustling square. Festive music sounded softly beneath the cries of street vendors and high-pitched laughter of children. Somewhere, tiny silver-sounding bells were jingling.

Coming to a halt at the edge of the crowd, Rima gazed wistfully at the little market with its log-cabin stalls and winter charm. Families and groups of friends surrounded her, each lost in their own little world. She watched them, feeling herself grow torn between grief and envy when–

"Rima-chan?"

The familiar voice cut through the festive song and merriment. Instinctively, Rima's breath hitched.

Quickly swallowing back the lump in her throat, Rima turned and hoped the tears in her eyes would be unnoticeable. Nagihiko's purple head was encircled by a halo of lights, his eyes glittering softly as he passed beneath a string of lanterns, but it was good humour and a cheerful warmth that lit up his face as he saw her from across the square.

"Rima-chan!" He began pleasantly. "Out by yourself at this hour?"

"Fujisaki." Rima said curtly, already feeling defensive out of habit. Of course it was just her luck to have Nagihiko, of all people in the world, cross her path at a time like this. She averted her gaze as he drew towards her.

"Out for the festivities?" He asked, gesturing with a smile to the market behind them.

Something heavy dropped in her stomach as she glanced back at the decorated façades of the Christmas stalls, but, as ever, Rima prized herself on maintaining the same stony expression that she had learned to perfect whenever her fellow Guardian was around. Though why after all this time it was still such a stubborn habit was beyond her.

"No."

Nagihiko looked taken aback. "Oh," He said. "I see."

There was a pause. As another blast of winter chill rolled throughout the city, the temperature dropping ever more rapidly with the onset of night, Rima stopped to rearrange her thick scarf, pulling it tightly beneath her chin. Nagihiko was watching with keen eyes.

"Cold?"

"None of your business."

"No?" He bit back a smile. The disbelief was evident in his tone. "You look all puffed up like a little profiterole."

Rima's eyes narrowed. "_Excuse me_, Fujisaki?"

The infuriating chuckle that left his lips made her bristle. Rima scowled, her cheeks puffed and rosy in the cold as the winter wind whistled bitterly through the trees. She suddenly felt very self-conscious of the padded coat and fluffy scarf about her neck. She caught her reflection in the gleam of a store window. She looked like a cream cake. Or a melting marshmallow… How undignified.

Nagi must have noticed this because he turned his head as if to hide his amusement which, of course, only made her cheeks redden. Desperate times called for desperate measures and so, reluctantly, Rima resorted to distraction. She looked him up and down, expertly searching for any source of scrutiny.

"What's that?" Rima nodded. There was a messenger bag slumped over his shoulder that looked fit to bursting. "Up to some sketchy business in the dead of night?"

"Ah," he looked down at the bag, laughing lightly at her little remark. "Christmas cards." He said, reaching in and holding up a red envelope as proof. "Mother likes them delivered with a more… Personal touch."

Rima couldn't help but snort. "_Messenger boy._" She teased. She couldn't help it. There was just something about the thought of Nagi running around like an errand boy on Christmas Eve that delighted her with a wonderful dose of schadenfreude.

A chuckle. "Well it's better than '_cross-dresser_'," he admitted. "So, if not for the festive fun, what brings you out so late?" Nagi tried again. "And on Christmas Eve too."

Rima might have been more annoyed had she not been so thrilled by Nagi's late night errands, but still she huffed, sticking her pretty little nose into the air. "Like I said, it's none of your business." She declared. "And if you don't mind, I'll be on my way."

Rima stalked off, regrettably towards the heart of the market simply because there was nowhere else to turn, and tried her best to look like a dignified young woman rather than a lost little child on supposedly the merriest night of the year. Honestly, this night was difficult enough without having Nagihiko prying into her personal life. Even if unintentionally, it had to be said that he was unbelievably perceptive. He could sense if things were off a mile away, she thought, hurrying past a group of carolers and trying to block out the sound of their voices.

In fact, Rima was so intent on blocking them out, she didn't even notice Nagihiko coming until he was already beside her.

"Why are you following me?"

Nagi fell into step at her heel. "Well, what kind of gentleman would I be if I allowed young Miss Rima to go off on her own this late at night?"

Honestly, she thought, it was like he was _trying _to get on her nerves.

"I can manage just fine on my own, thank you."

"Oh, are you sure?" Nagi teased, his eyes alight with mischief. "Rima-chan, just admit you don't know where you're going."

Rima ignored him, but her cheeks were burning. Damn him. Why was it that he always managed to get right under her skin? What was it about him that had her temper flaring? That had her heart all a-hammering? That dulled the sharp edge of her usually witty tongue?

By now Rima had to accept that Nagi was well and truly glued to her side as she drifted without direction further into the little maze of Christmas stalls. Here and there were food carts, toy-makers and carol-singers, all stood beside temporary storefronts enshrined in fairy lights and fake snow, holly and mistletoe, but all felt dull and distant to her, distracted as she was by his presence beside her. Feeling more self-conscious than ever, Rima tried desperately to focus on her surroundings.

It was no use. Christmas was a time for company and it seemed she had walked straight into the path of a whole flock of Christmas-goers huddling for warmth beneath the hanging decorations.

'_Ugh,' _she thought, pretty nose wrinkling. '_Couples.' _

How abhorrent as they drifted hand-in-hand across her path. How disgusting as they engaged in all manner of forms of PDA right here for all to see, she thought, if ignoring some unknown, bitter seed of jealousy nestled within her heart.

Suddenly, Rima was acutely aware of just how close Nagihiko was at her side. Heart hammering, cheeks burning, she stepped aside, cursing herself for such a pathetic reaction. Nagihiko didn't seem to notice.

"It's beautiful, isn't it, Rima-chan?"

Nagi's voice jolted her from her train of thought. She blinked, confused, before realising that somehow they had made their way to the centre of the market. Rima took a reluctant glance at the giant fir tree that stood proudly in the middle of the square, shrouded in string lights and bright silver garlands. Not for the first time, she felt utterly dwarfed in its shadow.

"It's stupid." She uttered, brushing Nagi's statement aside breezily.

"Rima-chan..." Nagihiko began quietly. With the gentle edge of his tone, the atmosphere shifted. "Do you really think it's stupid?"

Rima swallowed. "It's… It's never been the same." She said. "Not since…"

She paused abruptly, stopping herself before much more could come pouring out on this cold winter's night. She nearly slapped herself. Why was she telling him this?

But Nagihiko was unperturbed. He considered this for a moment, watching her carefully as she resolutely stared down at her feet, grounding herself on the spot as though bracing herself against some great oncoming tide.

"Since they started fighting?"

Rima's gaze snapped back to the boy before her. Her mouth hung open, but, speechless, her mind had drawn a blank and nothing came out. Damn. He was observant.

"H-How did you..?"

Nagihiko's gaze softened, but he said nothing. Rima realised there was no point in pressing the question. It was probably obvious. The Guardians all knew her home life was not the average, but for him to guess so accurately…

Around her the market seemed to come to life all over again. The music; the decorations; the laughter of children… And it was with a pang of misery that Rima has to admit… She missed it. She missed it all. She missed her mother's singing and her father's jokes; missed those cozy winter evenings spent sat before the Christmas tree, the smell of scented pine and her parents' baking drifting through the house. She missed the warm and welcome memories of what in her childhood once had been…

But now she was grown. Now these winter nights felt cold and hopeless because in her heart Rima knew she could not go back. Christmas was a time that in her memory was dominated by the presence of family… And what use was Christmas if she didn't have a family anymore?

By now, the lump in her throat has returned with a vengeance and the dazzling lights of the brilliant tree were blurring in her vision. Hastily, she wiped the tears away, hoping beyond hope that Nagihiko would not have noticed.

"Rima-chan–"

"Don't," she brushed him away. "It doesn't matter."

"Of course it matters," Nagi said. "It's Christmas."

She scoffed loudly with the aim of letting him know exactly how she felt about _that_, but it came out weak and half-hearted.

"And speaking of Christmas…" Nagihiko reached into his messenger bag, rummaging around for a moment to withdraw a plain little package, wrapped in brown paper and tied with a red ribbon. He proffered the package towards here.

"Here," He said. "I meant to drop this off at your house tonight."

Rima blinked. "N-Nagihiko..?"

And, warmly, Nagi smiled. "Merry Christmas, Rima-chan."

The parcel was light in her hands and the gleam of the silken ribbon flowed softly beneath the lights of the Christmas tree. Nagi watched expectantly, but Rima could see that his breath was held and his eyes were full of anticipation. She undid the ribbon and gently unwrapped the paper.

Inside was a box. A pastry box with a little plastic window to goods inside – a cake. A white, personal-sized cream cake topped with heaps of whipped cream and strawberries, finished off with a gold-flecked chocolate star. '_Merry Christmas_' was written in chocolate sauce in delicate cursive.

By now, her cheeks were positively pink. Her breath hitched in her throat.

"Th-Thank you…" She said.

Nagi smiled so wide and brightly that it was a wonder she caught her breath. "Thank goodness!" He said. "I was hoping you'd like it!"

Rima looked up guiltily.

"I… I didn't get you anything…"

A mighty blush graced Rima's cheeks, but Nagihiko just chuckled. Her heart fluttered.

"You know, Rima, that's really unnecessary." He began. "But, if I had to ask for something…"

A pause. Behind them, bells were chiming as the hour struck 10. Children were singing. Couples were walking arm-in-arm towards the tree that lit up the clear, comforting hazel of Nagihiko's eyes – like blazing chestnuts above a welcoming flame, full of soul and spirit. Rima waited with baited breath…

He spoke softly;

"How about some company on Christmas night?"

Rima's pulse was pounding.

"N-Nagi…"

In his company, she had quite forgotten the chaos that she'd left back home – felt free of the tears and the fighting and the lack of festive cheer. The cake box in her hand was growing heavier, her heart fuller as she felt a warmth radiate throughout her chest that she hadn't felt in years. Her heartbeat skipped.

It was funny how, guided by fate, they found themselves here – staring into each other's eyes from across the square whilst all around them the market-goers hurried on with not a care in the world. And, as if by magic, his hand found hers, his fingers slipping around her palm, warm and comforting against the chill this winter's night. To his surprise (and perhaps hers), she didn't pull away.

"Merry Christmas, Rima."

And, finally, Rima smiled.

"Merry Christmas, Nagihiko."

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_A/N_: Who's never written Rimahiko before? This gal. Disgraceful, I know. I definitely think I need more practice, but I was so glad to have this chance to try writing for this pairing for the first time. I tried to keep it short, but I hope to do something longer soon. Bring forth the Rimahiko fluff!

Thank you for reading! Merry Christmas~!


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